“Ah, that’s good coffee! I haven’t had real coffee for more than a century!” Sami said.

“How long have been imprisoned in your lamp?” Martha asked.

“Before I was released by Stefania, you mean? I was summoned for the last time in the year 1821, when Napoleon died.”

“That’s 190 years ago.” Martha said.

“Only? I thought it was longer. The world has changed a lot since then. If I remember the Middle Ages or the kingdom of the Pharaoh, there was virtually no change for centuries.”

“You lived in ancient Egypt?” Martha asked enthusiastically.

“It was during that time that I was trapped inside the lamp and became a slave.” Sami explained.

“How did that happen?”

“I fell for a woman called Mardita. She was a sorceress and specialized in trapping genies inside lamps. And I was just an inexperienced, young genie, just as you are today.“ Sami began his tale. “I lived in a dessert with my parents and my family. But it was not like a human family. We lived on a bare mountain high in the sky. And we kept away from humans, as they never did any good for genies. That was what my parents told me. Then, one day, I saw a beautiful black woman climbing up our mountain. Despite my parent’s warning, I decided to have a closer look.”

“Wait a second! I thought you didn’t like humans. Why did you go there anyway?” Martha interrupted.

“For the same reason as you rubbed that cursed lamp: Curiosity.” Sami replied “I saw her drawing something on the ground. When she looked around, she spotted me and stepped aside so I could have a clear view. I shouldn’t have taken a closer look. It was a star with seven edges and many magical symbols. In the middle was an oil lamp. Suddenly, the woman raised her hands and began to chant in a language I didn’t know. The drawing on the ground glowed and I was trapped in a cone of light. The slave bracelets appeared on my forearms and an invisible force caught my body and dragged me to the center of the star. I tried to fight back, but inevitably, I was sucked towards the lamp. Eventually, I was forced inside.”